In food processing, a mixture of food components is typically subjected to a range of thermal and mechanical treatments, for example, baking, boiling, steaming, freezing, kneading, mixing and extruding, to form a food product with the desired taste, texture, as well as desired visual properties such as color and shape. Food components include carbohydrates, proteins, oils, fats, water as well as minerals, vitamins and flavors. Each food component has its own unique properties, and may be incompatible with other food components when present in a mixture. For example, oil and water are immiscible, and form a thermodynamically unstable emulsion when mixed together. The oil and water phases will gradually separate, causing the emulsion to coalesce, flocculate, cream or break. This can negatively impact the characteristics of the product, such as shelf-life, taste, or aesthetics.
To render food components compatible, emulsifiers are employed. Emulsifiers allow immiscible substances, such as oil and water, to mix homogenously and to produce stable emulsions. An important consideration in food production is that the emulsifier used should not impart an off-taste or other negative characteristics to the food product. In particular, beverage products tend to require special considerations when it comes to emulsifiers, both in terms of functionality and taste neutrality. As a result, choice of emulsifiers for use with beverages is limited. A commonly used emulsifier for beverages is gum Acacia (gum Arabic) prepared from an exudate from the stems and branches of the sub-Saharan species of the Acacia tree, Acacia senagal and Acacia seyal. However, due to its high demand and unreliable supply, gum Arabic can be difficult and expensive to obtain. Also, gum Arabic may fluctuates in its quality.
From the above discussion, it is desirable to provide an emulsifier with desirable characteristics, such as the ability to maintain a stable emulsion, good mouthfeel, texture and taste, and which can be obtained easily and cost effectively. It is also desirable to provide an emulsifier system that may increase the overall emulsifying capability so as to reduce the use of gum Arabic.